


The Hard Way

by YeolMonster



Category: Infinite (Band)
Genre: M/M, another flirting via texting fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2016-12-11
Packaged: 2018-09-07 21:33:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,358
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8816938
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YeolMonster/pseuds/YeolMonster
Summary: In which Myungsoo and Sungyeol start texting and find themselves incredibly well matched.





	

The first time Myungsoo meets Lee Sungyeol is on Friday. 

The house is bustling with activity and the walls are shaking the volume of the music, Sungyeol shakes hands with him and his fingers are long, fragile and white, as if made of thin porcelain.

He’s introduced to him by Woohyun. Woohyun’s friend. 

But also Sungjong’s. 

And Sunggyu has his hand on Sungyeol’s nape as he tells a funny story about the two of them.

Oh, and Dongwoo knows him from the university, apparently, and suddenly he becomes like this secret everybody kept from Myungsoo. He feels left out.

He grows on the rest of the party instantly; an art student that doesn’t look like an art student, a self-proclaimed comedian, a tall handsome guy with a nice clean haircut and a beautiful brilliant smile. 

Myungsoo isn’t sure why, but he spends some of the evening nit-picking and trying to find what’s wrong with him - probably because he had too much to drink. But there really isn’t anything he can put his hand on - in fact, Sungyeol is probably the most perfect thing that walked in through his door. 

He's overall pretty wasted when he meets Sungyeol - and he realizes once the haze of the alcohol dulls, he assumes he’ll probably never see him or hear of him after this night, the way it was before today.

But Sungyeol is rather hard to forget.

Myungsoo learns that the hard way.

 

.

 

" _ Forgot jacket at your place, keep it safe until our next encounter. xoxo _ "

Myungsoo isn’t much of a host.

He's more of a owner of an apartment where people like to hang out. 

His penthouse is isolated, sound-proof, pretty big for a lone bachelor, doesn't have any grim additions like nagging roommates or ranting parents. 

It’s located in a central area, right across a mall, and it just became a habit of sorts to host a party now and then with no actual reasoning besides hanging out. It's not even a party, really, more like a get-together. Sometimes people bring other people, but usually it's no more than twenty people.

Myungsoo buys some beers and a maybe a cake, just to look like he tried, but the others pretty much bring the bulk of the appetisers and alcohol. 

Overall, he hates the mess and hates to clean up - but he doesn’t complains. Most of his friends are in university and Myungsoo isn’t a part of that field of their lives. He got into photography in his senior year of highschool, and didn’t bothered applying to universities once he found a job. Things went well for him from there. His friends were always jealous somewhat of his lifestyle, but Myungsoo felt it’s quite the opposite, since their lives still revolved around education and had an academic structure, and they barely saw each other. This was an excuse to see them, in a way.

He contemplates with sending a 'who is this?' for a while.

He finds a grey jacket on the couch, but he doesn't remember any of them wearing it. 

It looks like it might fit Minseok, but Minseok would never write a cryptic message like that, and Myungsoo also has his phone number. 

The only thing he has to identify him is his kakaotalk name which is Mighty.Prince.Of.Monkeys.

He decides to message back, with a cryptic reply as well, just so he won't seem like a complete asshole.

" _ Jacket is found and secured, awaiting your arrival, Oh mighty prince _ ."

" _ You shall be awarded kindly for this. Prince of Monkeys does not forget his friends _ ."

" _ I sure hope so, guarding the jacket is a tough job _ ."

" _ Like no other. Be careful of the moths. Fearsome creatures. They've been eyeing my jacket for awhile now. _ " 

Myungsoo snorts. 

" _ I might charge extra, now. I didn't know moths were involved. _ " 

" _ Blasphemy! I'll have you know that I'm not the richest prince out there. More of... a student-ish broke kind of prince _ ."

" _ Hey, we're all trying to get by here. If you really want me to fend off those moths, you gotta pay the price _ ."

" _ Alright, alright. I can pay other ways. I have... a beautiful painting of a famous artist _ ."

" _ Yeah? Which one? _ "

" _ It's actually mine. But I'll be famous one day, so it'll probably cost a lot of money. _ " 

Myungsoo leans back on the couch.

" _ Yeah, I think I'll pass on that one. Anything other treasures you're willing to trade? _ "

" _ Tsk! You're hard to satisfy! Alright, I'll send you my nudes, if you're asking so nicely. _ "

It's not Daniel, either - he's not that witty.

Hoya would never text him for so long, and Sungjong doesn’t have the patience to play along with something like this. 

Woohyun might be a troll enough to pull this off, but ‘Prince Of Monkeys’ just doesn’t strike him like the kind of nickname Woohyun will get on kakaotalk - besides, Woohyun is just down the list, a scroll away, a gazillion of hearts and emojis for a nickname. 

It might be Mijoo’s idea of a joke, though. 

Another message arrives before he can contemplate some more on it.

It's a picture. But of a very displeased cat who had a poodle haircut, and just looks like a tiny, angry lion. Myungsoo happens to like cats. A lot. 

" _ The disappointment _ ." He sends back.

" _ Am I too furry for you? I get that a lot _ ."

He doesn't even knows what to answer, but he doesn't have to because the subject is immediately changed; " _ So, a carrot cake huh? I didn't even know they sell those. Cakes made out of vegetables. And it’s tasty too. What’s next? Cucumber cupcakes? _ "

" _ There's a good bakery down the street that sells good cakes. _ "

" _ I'm a carrot kind of guy. I can see myself eating it when I'll come over to take back my jacket. *hint for extra credit* _ "

Myungsoo snorts. " _ Yeah? What do I need extra credit for? For all I know I'm not even getting paid _ ."

" _ But I'm a prince! It's a special honour to host a prince! _ "

" _ I'm the prince, myself actually _ ."

" _ Oh yeah? Prince of what exactly? _ "

" _ Cats… dogs… dragons, you name it _ ."

" _ You can't be a prince of both dragons and dogs and cats. _ "

" _ Why not _ ?"

" _ You were obviously absent in biology class. Dogs and cats are mammals. Dragons are lizards with wings _ ."

" _ Last time I checked, Dragons didn't exist, they might be mammals for all we know. _ "

" _ Okay, then you can be Prince of Dragons _ ." 

" _ It sounds like you want me to be prince of nothing _ ."

" _ I'm just making sure, that if my jacket starts a war, I'll be relatively safe _ ."

" _ How cunning of you _ ."

" _ You're not so bad yourself, revealing you're a prince at this crucial point of the plot _ ."

.

 

Myungsoo realizes that it’s five am, only when he cracks his head to the left from the strange position he was sitting at, and the tv’s clock is shining the 05:13 in neon green. 

The apartment is still dirty with the leftovers Dongwoo didn't manage to clean before Sunggyu dragged him away, beer cups on the TV stand, and snack wrappings on the floor.

He tries to reassure himself, because as far as he knows his friends left somewhere around three am, but the fact stays a fact, he texted somebody whose name stayed Mighty Prince of Monkeys throughout the conversation until five am.

Myungsoo figured out from vague descriptions that it might be that guy,  _ Sungyeol  _ \- the one he met at the party, but he doesn't want to ask. For all he knows it's an enigma, and Myungsoo likes riddles.

He wants to pretend he fall asleep, but he can't really. They were just talking about nudes again - as a matter of fact, they were talking about it for the last hour. 

Myungsoo likes half-assing through sarcasm, and the guy is seriously witty.

It's been a long while since he was immersed in something.

Myungsoo is by nature more reserved than opened, so it's difficult to say that enjoys meeting new people. But he enjoys meeting this person, at least talking with him. Well. Texting him.  

" _ Well, this was a pleasant conversation. If you weren't a pervert after my nudes. But I understand. Some bodies are hard to resist. _ " 

" _ I keep telling you to keep your nudes to yourself, but you keep sending me pictures of animals without fur _ ." He returns. 

" _ Yeah, well, maybe I'm not that slutty! At least buy me dinner or something! I'm a prince for god's sake! _ "

" _ An artsy-fartsy, broke prince _ ." 

" _ Artsy-fartsy. I like that. I'm going to use that from now on without crediting you. _ " A pause and then; " _ I'm Sungyeol, by the way. _ "

" _ Yeah, I kind of figured that one out _ ."

" _ Really? You kind of ignored me at the party. I felt like I was crashing. But Woohyun assured me your house is like a cheap motel _ ."

" _ Woohyun has a fresh outlook on the world, doesn't he? _ " He hesitates a little, then sends a quick addition;  _ "I think I kind of ignored everybody at the party. I was just off work, so I’m was tired _ ."

" _ I'm sure you were just busy figuring out your quest details! After all... keeping a jacket is a tricky business. Even for a Cat-Dragon prince _ ."

He barely knows the guy and they already have an inside joke. Ridiculous.

" _ Anyway, my eyes are sorta bleary and sleepy and the sun is being all yucky and entering through the blinds, so I guess I'm going to sleep. _ "

" _ I'll scold the sun. It definitely exaggerated this time _ ."

" _ Will you? That is so sweet of you. Alright, I'll let you take me to dinner in exchange for my nudes. _ " 

" _ I don't want your nudes. _ "

" _ You're paying for dinner, then _ ."

" _ Why should I _ ?"

" _ You should start calling me ‘Prince-Hyung’, by the way, I’m older by 6 months _ ."

" _ This is moving too fast _ ."

" _ I'm just going to put this out there, when we'll adopt a dog together, we're naming it Mothball. _ "

" _ You really do need to go to sleep _ ."

" _ Goodnight/morning, Myungsoo. _ "

 

.

  
  


Lee Sungyeol is 23.

Lives at the university dorms with two more students. Prefers coffee to anything. Still thinks fart-jokes are funny. Wants a pet Monkey - in fact, the last photo he posted on facebook is of his comission for some exhibition, showing a beautiful painting of a Monkey King, from the legends - he focused more on the feminine aspect of it, and the crown’s details are just so amazing, that Myungsoo can’t even take his eyes off the picture before studying every corner of it. There’s a long discussion on this picture, and Myungsoo can’t be bothered to read it all, he reads some of the messages like Sunggyu’s; “tomorrow he’ll be into water sports again so he’ll start painting erotic water nymphs guaranteed”.

To which Woohyun answers with a; “Male erotic water nymphs, pls, sungyeol!”

Sungyeol’s one and only contribution to that whole thread is; “It sounds like you’re not getting enough action at home, Woohyun. Should I talk with Sunggyu?”

Sunggyu obviously replies with “mind your own business” but this starts a whole new discussion, in which Sungyeol no longer participates. In fact, he’s not one for social media - besides his art commissions and projects, and of course the occasional tag on somebody else’s picture, Sungyeol’s wall is quiet and uneventful.  

Sungyeol doesn’t seem to have a girlfriend. 

Or a boyfriend. 

He doesn’t seem to have any history with anybody either. Then again he might not be the kind to flaunt relationships on facebook, considering how absent he is from it. 

He decides he got too invested and creepy when he reaches Sungyeol’s picture from his high-school days, back when he was still wearing braces. 

If they have children, they will need braces, he thinks, then the sheer stupidity of what he just thought finally dawns to him.

He suddenly feels like he exaggerated and texted him nonstop and got all creepy and hopeful for nothing - and yet he finds himself texting Sungyeol on the toilet, unable to leave his phone for more than 10 minutes at a time.

Sungyeol even calls him a ‘flash bather’, which is according to him, somebody who bathes really quickly. 

Sometimes it's a little difficult to keep up with Sungyeol. Sometimes it's super easy. At some point, he assumes Sungyeol thinks of him as boring - at another Sungyeol seems to be really hungry for interacting with him and Myungsoo nibbles his lip as he reads the new texts.

Myungsoo starts to wonder if it'll get awkward when they'll meet in person only in the end of the week.

But then Saturday comes along, and Sunggyu already promised to come along with the gang, but Sungyeol is absent, both in physical form and at their chat. Myungsoo’s last message was read around 5 hours ago, but didn’t have a reply. Maybe Myungsoo should’ve invited him personally. Maybe he got insulted.   

Sungjong is unimpressed when Myungsoo tells him that his friend is witty. 

"You don't say." His exact reply is, as if Myungsoo is pestering with the subject for hours. "He probably went all out with his wittiness fiasco on you. He tends to do it with new people. He gets all over-excited like a ten year old and can't control himself. He'll calm down eventually. Don’t worry about it.” Then he’s stuffing his face with chips. 

Myungsoo decides to try to approach another victim; “Oh, Sungyeol? I think he has a date today.” Dongwoo says and Myungsoo feels like making a bratty scene and stomping his feet at the news, only then Hoya barges into the conversation; “Hyung, please, Sungyeol is as single as a pringle.”

Dongwoo laughs at that, but then says; “Yeah, but he seemed really excited about today, and said he’s going to meet someone - so I thought… Hey, is that the new cake from the bakery downstairs? I really wanted to try it when I went past it!” 

That’s that.

His last resort is Woohyun, really, but he and Sujeong and Myungeun are talking in hushed voices about some philosophical bullshit that Myungsoo doesn’t have the patience to wait out for them to finish their conversation. 

The get-together ends with him scrolling through his conversation with Sungyeol, trying to detect if he had somehow insulted him, but he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Dongwoo and Hoya stay for the last few minutes, helping Myungsoo with the trash, when he finally gets a text. 

“ _ Sorry about that! I  was finishing something up and got distracted - had an opportunity to earn a few bucks with a commission but the deadline was tonight _ .”

Myungsoo feels like he’s been stood up all the same, although there was absolutely no indication that he’ll show up to the party even if he wasn’t ‘finishing something’. So he doesn’t answer.

“ _ I know that sounds like a bad excuse _ .”

After he finishes cleaning up, he sees that Sungyeol left it at that.

When Myungsoo wakes up, slightly hungover and with a bad taste in his mouth, he sees that Sungyeol had already resumed where they left off the day before, sending him bad internet memes along with jokingly complaining how he’s carrying the conversation by himself. 

Maybe this is good, thinks Myungsoo. Maybe he needed some time out. 

He breaks at noon. 

Sungyeol texts; " _ So this is it, huh? Is this the end of our beautiful text-fling? _ " to which Myungsoo feels obligated to reply; " _ Yeah, I already filed for divorce. I'll see you in court. _ "

 

.

 

“ _ So, what are you doing _ ?” It’s Wednesday and Myungsoo is finally home at 11pm. 

He’s been up from 7am, in photoshoot in Incheon, near a beach. It’s mid autumn, and it was freezing and damp and wet and the smell of dead fish got under his skin and was hard to scrub off. The city looks dead and asleep when he drives home as if today, everybody went to bed early. 

Sungyeol is still awake though. 

He’s always awake.

He claims sleep is for the weak. 

“ _ Cleaning up my brushes from paint. _ ”

“ _ And what are you wearing? _ ” 

“ _ A hairy monkey suit. _ ” He replies. “ _ With a gorilla mask intact and all. I’m trying to feel more connected to my people. _ ” 

“ _ That sounds so sexy. I was always into monkeys _ .”

He’s either too tired to care or in mood to stir up the pot then regret it in the morning. 

“ _ I knew you were into kinky stuff _ .” Sungyeol plays along.

“ _ I bet it’s real hot in that suit of yours _ .” 

“ _ It’s stifling hot, Myungsoo. I’m waiting for you to take it off. _ ” 

Myungsoo smiles at the blue light of his smartphone. He doesn’t even feel like moving right now, but this half-ass flirting makes him nibble his lip. 

“ _ Take it off, then. I want to watch _ .” 

“ _ I can cut a hole in my costume for you _ .” 

“ _ Wouldn’t that hurt the feelings of your people? _ ” 

“ _ I won’t let my people separate between us. We belong together, even if I’m wearing a gorilla suit. _ ” 

_ “Will the hole be big enough for me to sit in too, or what? I just don’t see this working out, Sungyeol _ .” 

“ _ You clearly lack imagination! Never heard of sexy panties that have strategically placed holes? _ ” 

“ _ And you have a monkey suit with strategically placed holes? _ ” 

“ _ Well, I was gonna, but you’re clearly not worth the effort _ .” 

He laughs; “ _ This is the best cyber-sex I participated in. _ ” 

“ _ Wow, you’re done already? We didn’t even start yet. _ ”

“ _ I’m just commenting on your current performance _ .” 

“ _ You’re quite the critic, huh? So what, do I get three michelin stars now? A badge? I want it to be on a banner in my funeral. _ ”

“ _ I can arrange that _ .” 

“ _ My funeral or the banner? _ ” 

“ _ Both _ .” 

“ _ Both _ ?” 

“ _ Yeah. Banners are easy to make with some microsoft paint. And you’d be an easy victim. I can just burn down the starbucks next to university _ .” 

“ _ You wouldn’t. _ ” 

“ _ You shouldn’t cross me, Sungyeol. Or cheat on me. I’m can be quite vicious _ .”

“ _ Wow. That’s so scary. And oddly sexy. _ ” 

“ _ It’s sexy that you think it’s sexy, too _ .”

“ _ We’re really well matched _ .”

“ _ We are _ .” Myungsoo agrees. 

For some reason after that the conversation halts.

Myungsoo gulps down a fearful knot in his throat. 

The lights are out, the TV is muted, and he’s sleepy. They must have crossed some line here, at least, Myungsoo’s abdomen seems to think so, flipping restlessly at Sungyeol’s texts. 

It’s not until he finally sluggishly makes it to his bed when Sungyeol sends;  

“ _ Do you ever wonder what will happen if we meet? _ ” 

“ _ Well, now I’m wondering why it’s a ‘if’ and not a ‘when’ _ .”

Sungyeol sends an exasperated cat emoji. 

Then; “ _ I mean. Where we stand. That kind of thing. _ ”

“ _ I actually don’t know either _ .” Myungsoo admits. “ _ I guess we’ll just have to see when we meet _ .” 

“ _ Let’s meet then _ .” 

“ _ Okay _ .” 

“ _ Alright _ .” 

“ _ In starbucks. You wouldn’t want to leave once you visit it. It gives off a homey feeling. You won’t have the heart to burn it. _ ” 

Myungsoo snorts. “ _ Okay. Let’s meet at starbucks. _ ” 

“ _ Are you just sleepy, so you just agree to everything _ ?”

“ _ I agree to everything even if I wasn’t sleepy. _ ” 

“ _ Dream about me, then. _ ” 

“ _ It’ll be hard not to. _ ”  

Myungsoo doesn’t sleep right away but stares at the last message Sungyeol sent for long minutes.

 

.

 

They don’t meet. 

Not in the weekend either, because Myungsoo is in Busan for a photoshoot.

Dongwoo says he’s too tired on Sunday, and Myungsoo doesn’t want to force it.

He feels burdened and anxious when the dawn of the week bleeds in. He’s cautious during texting not to mention anything that might set off some divine balance. 

Myungsoo is legendary at messing things up, and this is the first thing in a long while he wanted something to work out so bad. 

Sungyeol also avoids talking about setting a date to their starbucks meeting, and they keep on with their half-assed flirting.

On Tuesday they talk until 4am about political issues. 

On Wednesday, they barely talk, Sungyeol has a deadline on his commission. He apologizes beforehand, saying that he turns off his phone and needs to get invested and Myungsoo keeps distracting him by demanding his nudes.

On thursday, almost as if on purpose, they barely talk. Sungyeol sends him a cat meme during early morning, and Myungsoo has a relatively snarky answer about it, and Sungyeol reads it but doesn’t replies.

Sungyeol is easily bored - maybe he already got bored with him?

In the evening Myungsoo breaks silence by asking; “ _ Are you coming over tomorrow _ ?” which is strategical check-mate, since he’s been pushing this get-together ever since tuesday, when he already told Dongwoo. He also made sure the Jiae knows, since she has the biggest mouth in their little gang. If that’s not enough he also texts Sungjong; “ _ Be there or be square _ ” and Sungjong texts back; “ _ why do you have my number _ ” as if he’s not the one who punched it in rudely because he got offended Myungsoo didn’t have it. 

Sungyeol must have heard it from around, if he really is hanging around them. 

“ _ Yeah, I’ll come _ .” He answers. 

Myungsoo writes; ‘define come?’ but deletes it, then writes ‘great’ and deletes that too. ‘Glad to hear’ sounds too formal, ‘Can’t wait to meet you’ too eager and ‘bring a monkey suit or a crown, so I’ll recognize you’ sounds as if he tried too hard to think of a comeback.

At some point it’s already been an hour and he still didn’t think of a the perfect reply, so he decides not to reply anything at all. 

Friday finally comes around, and Myungsoo is very calm and collected. He has inner peace. He brushes his teeth around 12 times, just in case. He bathes in the morning, but then he feels like he can’t just sit around, so he goes out for a run, sweats like a goddamn pig, and comes home to bath again. He spends 2 hours just on his hair. Don’t get him going about clothes. He heads out to the bakery and buys a carrot cake, then sees they make customized cupcakes and asks to do a batch of cucumber-themed cupcakes. They do make him the cupcakes, all with a green buttercream on top, and what seems to be an attempt at cucumber slices from fondant. But they taste of vanilla, which is close enough.

Myungsoo wears so much cologne, that Sungjong asks him if he bathed in it when he comes in. 

Dongwoo brings baked goods from his mom’s bakery, Minseok comes with a huge bag of salty snacks from his convenience store. Sungjong and Jiae bring more beer. Woohyun brings tequila. Mijoo brings herself, which is already an accomplishment, according to her. 

After Myungsoo’s 3rd beer his hands finally stop shaking and he falls into a pleasant conversation with Dongwoo.

Then he blinks, and Sungyeol is in the room. Everybody are listening to him talking about the weird art one of his clients requests. Myungsoo didn’t even notice him come in.

He actually wonders if it’s the same Sungyeol that was here three weeks ago. The same Sungyeol that he’s been texting with. His hair is well styled, and he’s wearing a nicely fitted sweater and he seems so casual and natural on the eyes as if he had always been there. 

He’s so attractive. 

Everything is exactly where it’s supposed to be. Everything exactly how it’s supposed to be. 

Myungsoo can’t look away.

He stands there, next to the kitchen isle, besides all the beverages and the food, his legs don’t seem to work, so he just stares unabashedly from afar. 

Sungyeol glances at him once, twice, smiles, smirks, but is too busy retelling the tale of ‘Sunggyu vs. Vending Machine’ an epic battle saga in 3 parts, which literally everybody in the room (well beside Sunggyu) want to hear about.  

“What’s wrong with you today?” Mijoo pushes him out of spite; “Constipated or something?” She throws in chips into her mouth and eats with her mouth opened. 

Myungsoo scrunches his nose. 

“You’re weirder than usual, that’s all I’m saying.” She continues.

“I’m fine.” He says, and then Sungyeol averts his gaze away and Myungsoo allows himself to release his breathe. 

Are they pretending they don’t know each other? Or are they playing a game? 

Or is he overthinking? Or was he too hopeful too soon?

Or what?

“Is it hemorrhoids? Is that why you won’t sit down? My uncle died from it.” 

“You can’t die from hemorrhoids, Mijoo.” 

“Of course, you can.” She insists. “You shit blood until you’re out of blood and then BAM! you die.” 

“Who dies?” Sujeong, her girlfriend, comes to take herself another beer. 

“Mijoo’s uncle died from hemorrhoids.” Myungsoo deadpans; “For the record, I don’t have hemorrhoids.”

“Is that the same Uncle who was a spy in north Korea?” Sujeong looks done with her, mostly.

“Yeah, that’s the one!” Mijoo looks happy that her imaginary uncle was remembered. 

“Didn’t he die for the country by enemy’s fire?” 

“He did die for the country. From hemorrhoids. And a bullet can cause hemorrhoids too.”

“You do realize that sounds even more reaching than the spy story. Do you even have any uncles?” 

“Don’t play into it,” Myungsoo warns; “You’ll end up more confused than you started. She’s worse than Woohyun.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Mijoo pushes his shoulder and Myungsoo snorts. When he looks away from them, his breathe is cut short because Sungyeol is right there, on the other side of isle. 

He’s so close Myungsoo can see the shadow his eyelashes leave on his cheeks. And all the little lines on his face he never noticed before. Those little sacks under his eyes, the plump lips. 

His eyes are roaming on the food between them for a moment.  Then he picks up a cucumber cupcake; “You remembered the Cucumber cupcakes?” He tastes the cream on his tongue, and Myungsoo’s legs feel faint. “I thought it might be a proper welcome for a prince.” Myungsoo replies before he even thinks, almost as if he practiced it all day long.

But then Mijoo is dragging Myungsoo out of his spot and to the livingroom for a clarification with Woohyun. Myungsoo almost barks at her for ruining this for him, but Sungyeol has already preoccupied himself with Dongwoo when he finally looks back.

 

.

 

Sungyeol doesn’t take his jacket. 

It’s still on the couch, where Myungsoo left it, so it’ll be convenient to find.

Instead, he leaves his wallet.

It’s lying between one pillow and another, probably accidently slipped out of his back pocket. Or on purpose. Myungsoo has his doubts.

It’s a yellow thing that has eyes and a beak, and Myungsoo guesses it’s supposed to be a chick.

There’s Sungyeol’s student ID. His starbucks card. His credit card is also there.

“ _ Forgot your wallet, I’ll keep it safe. Xoxo _ ” He sends. 

“ _ OH SHIT _ ” Sungyeol reply is quick;  _ “I knew something was missing. I’m heading back your way, then. _ ” 

Myungsoo glances at the clock, and understands it’s pretty late, even if this get-together ended rather early. “ _ Head back home. I’ll give it to Woohyun tomorrow _ .”

“ _ I can’t exactly ride the metro for free _ .”

“ _ Oh _ .” Myungsoo answer, but then suddenly it dawns to him that Sungyeol is going to come over.

He runs around the house like a headless chicken for awhile, trying to clean up the major destroyed areas.

The next 5 minutes are spent on resuming a seductive pose right in front of the door. 

Either way, by the time Sungyeol comes in, Myungsoo had already decided to change his sweater into something more comfortable, like for example, another sweater. 

Only when he wears it, he realizes both of the sweaters are equally black, just have a different collar shape.

“So do you always keep your door opened?” Sungyeol is already shoving his wallet into his pocket. 

“So are you always this forgetful?”

Sungyeol snorts and sits down; “Only when I like someone.” 

“Was it discarded on purpose?”

“Maybe.” 

“I see.”

“And maybe I was waiting outside your building for around 30 minutes until you finally noticed that I discarded it.” 

Myungsoo laughs, though nervously, and sits down on the couch. 

Sungyeol is nibbling at his lip. “So… why did you change clothes?”

“This sweater is warmer.” He lies, then adds; “Why were so quiet yesterday? On the chat, I mean.”

Sungyeol shrugs. “I guess I was nervous? Why didn’t you?”

“Same.”

It’s quiet for a moment. Their shoulders brush. Myungsoo glances at him and then looks away as if scorched.

“So…” Sungyeol inhales deeply; “Wanna screw around?” 

Myungsoo laughs, because it even sounds ridiculous, and Sungyeol pushes his shoulder; “Don’t snort, I already feel like a slut.” 

“Well - it did sound skanky. I don’t think that’s the proper etiquette among princes.”

“What would be the proper etiquette among princes, then?” 

“Well… Maybe I should court you first… ask your dad’s hand in marriage…?”

Sungyeol kisses him as a reply. 

It’s a little dry and awkward, and they shift a few times for a better angle. 

Then Sungyeol draws away, and his eyelashes flutter. 

The room feels both hot and cold, but so quiet, there on the gray sofa of his apartment. Myungsoo leans in for another kiss. 

 

.

  
  


Later, when he moves in, the first thing he does is to throw out Myungsoo’s gray sofa. 

Myungsoo just comes home one day, and there’s a large white new couch where once stood the gray one, the one they could barely cuddle on since they were both tall. Myungsoo feels a little sad that he wasn’t able to say goodbye to it, and all the good memories it brought, but Sungyeol tells him he’s being ‘too sentimental’ and promises him that they’re going to make  _ better memories _ on the better couch. Starting the moment he’ll come home from his presentation.

Sungyeol’s name on kakaotalk had changed so many times during the year they had known each other, and now is ‘Aga’s Daddy’, with a picture of him and Myungsoo’s dog (well, their dog, kinda. Sungyeol gave him as a gift for christmas to Myungsoo, but they have shared custody.)

Being Sungyeol’s boyfriend is already a difficult task, so Myungsoo lets him have his way with the couch. And taking off the  _ allegedly  _ “morbid” painting in the hallway, and changing their sheets from the black silk to pastel lilac linen. 

Sungyeol sends him a picture of a kitten. And writes “ _ our family’s expanding so fast! _ ” and Myungsoo wonders if the female equivalent of Sungyeol would just send him a positive pregnancy test, instead, and find it even more endearing. Before he notices, there’s another kitten, and it’s already a zoo.

Then there’s an espresso machine in the kitchen, taking up all the space on the counter, and the extra room Myungsoo kept vacant for storage becomes Sungyeol’s “work-studio” and it always smells of fresh oil paint and clay. 

One day he sends him a picture of a monkey in diapers.

Myungsoo sends; “ _ Sungyeol, no _ .”

“ _ I’ve always wanted a little monkey to call my own _ .”

“ _ No _ .”

“ _ How can I be a monkey prince without actual monkeys _ ?” 

“ _ I hereby change your title to a Mighty Prince of Kitties _ .” 

“ _ It doesn’t have the same ring to it _ .” 

“ _ Where do you see us housing a monkey, Sungyeol? _ ”

“ _ I heard they’re really easy to handle if you educate them well. _ ”

Myungsoo takes a large inhale; “ _ How about we compromise on a hairless monkey? _ ”

“ _ A hairless monkey…? _ ”

“ _ Yeah. Homospians _ . It’s a species.” 

“ _ Are you saying in your weird little way you want to have kids? _ ”

“ _ I might be _ .” 

“ _ I have commitment issues. _ ”

“ _ Was that before or after you and the zoo moved into my apartment? _ ”

“ _ I want a hairy monkey. And a parrot. Can we have a parrot? I want the colorful one. _ ”

“ _ No, the next animal to come into the house, is a human child. Period _ .”

“ _ I’ll make it up to you if you just agree. You know I would _ .” Myungsoo furrows his eyebrows at the suggestive emoji that follows. 

Myungsoo is rather stubborn, though.

Sungyeol learns that the hard way.

 

**Author's Note:**

> So the original prompt was; "a fanfic with sooyeol starting their relationship by chatting online or by texting (cookie points if sungyeol is the forward one!)" by anon! :> Let me know how I did on this prompt/challenge and also hope you enjoyed it~!


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